


Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

by SaberAltered



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Canon Divergence, Grief, Mourning, minutemen ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-14 17:37:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11788086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaberAltered/pseuds/SaberAltered
Summary: Even if it was for the good of the Commonwealth, the General of the Minutemen can't help but feel guilty destroying the Institute.





	Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually going to be a companion piece/part one to another piece that will be posted later.
> 
> Just for clarification, Cece is Nate's sister, and she ended up going with Nate to the Vault. Nora had a spot, too, but she had to go to work that morning before the bombs dropped. However, Nora did survive the nuclear apocalypse.
> 
> The title is taken from "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from Phantom of the Opera.
> 
> Constructional criticism is always a plus!

Just as Cece expected, destroying the Institute had been something easier said than done. First, there was the matter of getting into the Institute, scraping together allies and resources. And then came a little matter known as Shaun.

Oh, Shaun. Cece had offered him time and time again to spare him, as long as he changed his ways. But Shaun refused to budge. She really couldn't blame him, considering that to him, the Institute was home, and the Commonwealth? Shit-inducingly scary. So, of course, there was no other option. Shaun was going to die fighting for his ideals, which Cece supposed was more ideal than suffering from the cancer, but that didn't make her decision any less painful.

She had offered him one last chance to come with her during that final battle. She and Nora had come to his deathbed to apologize for what it has come to, and also to issue the evacuation order. Shaun didn't make it easy on them, cursing them for destroying his life's work. Fortunately, Cece was able to issue the evacuation order.

When Cece told Nora that they had to get going, the older woman simply shook her head, remaining by her son's side.

"I'm not going to leave him to die alone." She rasped.

Cece knew that there would be no persuading the other woman out of it, but still she protested. She had enough guilt over what she was about to do to Shaun, and he was a monster. Nora, on the other hand, had a good heart, and was immensely helpful to her.

The commotion drew Danse, who took her by the hand and almost dragged her out.

Now, here she is, finger hovering over the detonator. She couldn't hesitate now, not with everyone who mattered watching. They know what needs to be done. She knows what needs to be done.

With a small sigh, she pushes the button.

She doesn't turn away from the explosion. She needs to face the music now.

She reluctantly accepts the praises her friends and allies bestow upon her. They know something is off, so they don't keep her for long.

She doesn't attend the celebration. Instead, she lies in her bed at The Castle, processing what she's done.

Preston and Danse both have visited her, offering condolences and reassuring her that she'd made the right choice. Preston had brought her some vodka, which she'd appreciated.

In the wee hours of the morning, she gets out of bed and searches her drawers for one of those scented candles she'd found while scavenging the old shopping mall.

She lights up the prettiest smelling candle, and reflects on the lives of Nora and Shaun as it burns.

Shaun was a shithead, but credit where credit's due, he was passionate about the Institute. He took pride in his work, and in his horribly misguided way, did what he thought was best for the Institute, and mankind as a whole. Unfortunately, his methods have made life a living hell for everyone who wasn't one of his scientists.

And Nora... She's going to be sorely missed. She'd been Cece's friend since high school. The two didn't mesh at first, considering their drama teacher would constantly pit them against each other. Once Nora started dating Nate, however, they began to see one another in a different light. It didn't take them too long to set aside their differences, and soon enough, they saw each other as sisters.

Cece had been shocked to find Nora in Goodneighbor, considering that she had left for work the morning that the bombs dropped. It had also taken Cece a while to get used to Nora's face, even she knew that it was the same woman underneath. But at the end of the day, she had been relieved to have her sister back.

And now she's gone for good.

The wax has been mostly diminished by now, so Cece blows out the candle.

 _Nora did say she'd rather die as herself than as a feral_ , Cece recalls as she crawls into bed.  _At least she's with the rest of the family now._

With the weight of the day looming heavy over her head, she ends up crying herself to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
